Former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Rosalie Abella was promoted to companion of the Order of Canada. Abella, who was the first refugee appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada as well as the first Jewish woman, retired in 2021, when she turned 75, and was credited with seminal social-justice court rulings, paving the way for same-sex marriage in Canada; advocating<\/a> for women\u2019s workplace rights; ensuring job opportunities for minorities; and enshrining the right to strike, as The CJN\u2019s Ellin Bessner\u00a0previously reported<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Former Supreme Court Justice Michael Moldaver was also appointed<\/a> companion to the Order of Canada, \u201crecognized for his distinguished service to Canadian law,\u201d the release read. \u201cAs a Supreme Court Justice, he shaped criminal law and Charter jurisprudence. A respected educator and mentor, he contributed to legal scholarship and professional development, strengthening Canada\u2019s justice system through decades of leadership, insight, and unwavering dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n Neither Abella nor Moldaver, both of Toronto, could be reached for comment before press time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Holocaust survivor and educator Elly Gotz, of Toronto, whose 2018 memoir\u00a0Flights Of Spirit\u00a0\u201cspeaks to the importance of understanding the conditions that bring about genocide and serves as a genuine counterweight to Holocaust deniers,\u201d was appointed a member of the Order of Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now 87, he\u2019s been speaking for the last\u00a030 years across Canada about his experience as a survivor. His incredible story includes surviving a year in the Dachau concentration camp, \u201cthrough miracles,\u201d trials and travels through Europe and then to Africa before moving to Canada in 1964. Gotz told The CJN in an interview he\u2019s spoken to more than 250,000 students over the past 30 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve kept records,\u201d he says of his professional appearances, which include both travel and virtual speaking engagements.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI want to speak about the Holocaust, but not because I want to tell my story. Hate is very damaging to the brain. I speak about not hating, not drawing swastikas on toilet walls. That is why I speak. I speak to stop hate.\u201d<\/p>\n The last group of recipients, announced\u00a0June 30, 2025,<\/a>\u00a0included Holocaust survivor and educator Nate Leipciger among those honourees.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m pleased that Holocaust survivors are getting the Order of Canada,\u201d said Gotz. \u201cIt means that we have contributed in some way\u00a0to Canadian culture,\u00a0to Canadian understanding of the Holocaust.\u201d<\/p>\n Originally from California, Vancouver\u2019s Leonard Schein, who moved to Canada in 1972 for graduate school, operated several movie theatres, founded the Vancouver Film Festival in 1981, and led and programmed major film festivals in Montreal and Toronto. He currently sits on the board of governors of the University of British Columbia (UBC), with additional work on projects like Food Stash Foundation, supporting people in need; Story Money Impact Film Society, supporting Canadian documentaries; and past work with the David Suzuki Foundation.\u00a0<\/p>\n He says he\u2019s proud to receive the award, and reflected on one of the first repertory theatres he ran, in 1978, that showed films with Jewish themes\u2014some even in Yiddish with subtitles.<\/p>\n Schein moved to Canada to attend University of Saskatchewan for graduate studies.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI felt very welcomed when I moved to Canada. It was very easy to come to Canada at that time. I came in 1972 and Pierre Trudeau, who was prime minister, was welcoming all these young Americans to come,\u201d he told The CJN.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe had no big forms to fill out or anything. We just drove to the border [and] showed that we\u2019ve been accepted\u201d to the university, he recalled.<\/p>\n \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be so anti-immigration,\u201d he added. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of good people who want to come here because of conditions in their country, and we should make it easier for them like it was made easier when I came in 1972.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the newly appointed members of the Order, Alfred Kwinter\u2014a leading insurance, property loss, and personal injury lawyer in Toronto\u2014has \u201cchampioned plaintiffs in landmark cases, served as director of the Advocates\u2019 Society, and supported legal education initiatives with societies and associations,\u201d the release read.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kwinter told The CJN in an interview that it felt like a \u201cwonderful New Year\u2019s present\u201d that the news was made public Dec. 31.\u00a0<\/p>\n He marvels at the respect colleagues have shown to him about the appointment\u2014including from lawyers with whom he\u2019s faced off in courtroom battles, where he represents individuals going up against insurance companies.<\/p>\n Kwinter called it \u201cheartwarming\u201d to hear that \u201ca very tough defence lawyer\u2026 one of my very tough opponents\u201d had sent a letter of\u00a0congratulations.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt shows that if you show respect, if you are a decent upstanding person, you will have the respect of others,\u201d said Kwinter.<\/p>\n He says his work in legal advocacy is rooted in Jewish beliefs and principles like\u00a0menschlikeit. Born in Vienna, he arrived at Halifax\u2019s Pier 21 at three years old, to parents who later opened a shop in Toronto\u2019s Kensington Market.<\/p>\n He jokes that his youth, including working at the family store, made for a \u201cDuddy Kravitz type of upbringing,\u201d referencing the Mordecai Richler novel. \u201cWe raised ourselves, to a large extent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Montreal artist Cindy Schwartz, a founder and the director of Les Muses, \u201cCanada\u2019s first full-time professional performing arts training program for neurodivergent adults,\u201d was also among those appointed as a member of the Order of Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCindy Schwartz has played a key role in championing diversity across arts and media,\u201d the governor general\u2019s release read. \u201cShe has fostered representation, empowered artists, and expanded opportunities for meaningful participation in cultural life.\u201d<\/p>\n Ottawa-based art historian Reesa Greenberg was also appointed, recognized \u201cfor her innovative contributions to art history and museology,\u201d read the release.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cA trailblazer in feminist and exhibition studies, she has advanced digital documentation of Canadian art and supported key cultural institutions. Her transformative philanthropy includes restoring Canada\u2019s Pavilion in Venice, ensuring its legacy for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n Also appointed was the Vancouver-based music journalist, radio host and true Canadian original, Nardwuar the Human Serviette (born John Ruskin).<\/p>\n He\u00a0posted a video and wrote<\/a>, in part: \u201cSo humbled that people thought I was worthy of this honour and nominated me. I am in awe! Like I can\u2019t even explain myself so I can\u2019t imagine how people would explain me to the committee!\u201d<\/p>\n Nardwuar\u2019s thanks included acknowledging supporters over the years of his weekly Vancouver radio show, which has been on the air since 1987.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to dedicate this Order of Canada to my late Mom who taught me so much about history, local independent media, and the value of research,\u201d wrote Nardwuar.<\/p>\n His mother, Olga Ruskin (n\u00e9e Bruchovsky), worked as a court reporter in Toronto and hosted a Vancouver cable-access TV show called \u201cOur Pioneers and Neighbours\u201d in the 1970s.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that she would be, like me, overcome with joy!\u201d (Nardwuar clarified via email to The CJN that he was in fact raised Russian Orthodox\u2014his mother\u2019s faith\u2014after his parents separated when he was young, and that his father, Vernon Ruskin, \u201cnever talked or mentioned his family history to my Mother or me.\u201d)<\/p>\n Nardwuar, the interviewer of everyone from rapper Snoop Dogg to Canadian federal and provincial leaders\u2014who he periodically invites to play the Hasbro game Hip Flip, as former New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton did in 2005\u2014is being appointed using his long-adopted stage name, according to a report<\/a> by The Canadian Press which called this \u201ca rare exception for one of Canada\u2019s highest honours that meets the spirit of his off-the-wall personality.\u201d<\/p>\n With his signature sound, Nardwuar signed off: \u201cDoot doola doot doo\u2026 Order of\u2026 Canada!\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Jonathan Rothman is a reporter for The CJN based in Toronto, covering municipal politics, arts and culture, and security, among other areas impacting the Jewish community locally and around Canada. He has worked in Canadian online newsrooms and on multimedia creative teams at the CBC, Yahoo Canada, and The Walrus. Jonathan’s writing has appeared in Spacing, NOW Toronto (the former weekly), and Exclaim! magazines, and The Globe and Mail. He has also contributed arts, music, and culture stories to CBC Radio, including an audio mini-documentary report from Brazil.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Schein-scaled-e1700240182562-768x605-1.jpeg\")
Leonard Schein. (Photo courtesy of the University of British Columbia)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Nardwuar-the-Human-Serviette.jpeg\")
Nardwuar the Human Serviette with Snoop Dogg. (Screenshot via Facebook)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1601411499989.jpeg\")
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